The first year of Project SEARCH at LMH is winding down and interns are getting ready for graduation.

With just about a month to go until graduation, the first class of Project SEARCH interns are in the process of completing their final internship rotations at Licking Memorial Hospital.

Now that the school year is almost over, many of them are thinking about the future, working on their resumes and figuring out the next steps on their journey toward community employment.

But first, they’ll celebrate with a graduation ceremony, held May 22 at the hospital.

Meet the final group of three interns who are gaining both skills and insights about their interests from their last internships.

Maggie Phillips

After internships in the Labor and Delivery and Cardiology departments working with patients, Maggie, of Newark, is now tackling a different kind of responsibility in the Health Information department.

She’s been working with patient records and fixing errors.

After this experience, Maggie said she’s considering trying to find a job using computers and doing data entry.

Andreya McCoy

During her time in Project SEARCH, Andreya has gained a variety of skills, from cleaning and stocking rooms in the Emergency department to helping out in the Purchasing department.

Now she’s enjoying her third internship in the Culinary department.

“It’s busy back there,” she said. “It makes the day go faster.”

Andreya said she plans to look for a job working in a kitchen or at a grocery store.

Steve “Tanner”  Krupp

Steve said he’s learned a lot from his Project SEARCH experience.One of the biggest skills he’s gained is problem solving.

Over the course of the program, he’s learned to figure things out when unexpected situations occur.

He had his first internship in Sterile Processing and then worked in Purchasing. Now he’s working in Engineering, helping with vehicle maintenance and working in the hospital’s wood shop.

Tanner said he would be interested in a job that would allow him to continue to work on cars.

Learn more

Students from Heath, Granville, Licking Heights, Newark and Watkins Memorial high schools are participating in this year’s Project SEARCH program.

Project SEARCH is hosted by Licking Memorial Health Systems, which has partnered with the Licking County Educational Service Center, Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities, Greenleaf Job Training Services, the Licking County Board of Developmental Disabilities and area school districts to bring the program to Licking County.

Each intern will complete three internship rotations before the end of the school year to learn different skill sets with the goal of gaining competitive employment at the end of the program.

For more information, contact Holly Shellogg, director of employment supports, at the Licking County Board of Developmental Disabilities at 740-322-6928 or holly.shellogg@lcountydd.org.